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Who will join Pagano in Indy?

Any ideas who Coach Pagano might bring in on his staff?

Right now Clyde Christensen is still the OC. If he is let go I would not be surprised if Pagano brought in Hugh Jackson. I think they have a good relationship having worked together before. If Peyton is brought back I don't see the offense changing even if Christensen goes but I am curious to see if the offense changes if Peyton is cut.

I don't really have any ideas on who he brings in as defensive coordinator. Any ideas?

It has not been talked about much (if at all) but I am hoping the special teams improve under Pagano and co.

Re: Who will join Pagano in Indy?

One hint in his new conference that I like (hopefully not lip service) is his belief in running the ball first. Going to be important with a rookie QB.

You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

Re: Who will join Pagano in Indy?

So how long before Peyton is announced as a new coach?

You know how hippos are made out to be sweet and silly, like big cows, but are actually extremely dangerous and can kill you with stunning brutality? The Pacers are the NBA's hippos....Matt Moore CBS Sports....

Greg Manusky has been the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers even before Mike Singletary took over as coach. In that time the 49ers defense against the run has improved tremendously so much so it's among the top three in the NFL.

The 49ers philosophy for stopping the run is to put big guys up front such as Aubrayo Franklin, who's 6'4" 315, and Isaac Sopoaga at 6'2" 330. This allows the linebackers to get to the ball carrier quicker and not allow many rushing yards.

With having the massive bodies up front, the Manusky-led defense loses its muster when attempting to stop the pass. Why? Those big men up front don't have the quickness to get to the quarterback. Since Manusky arrived four years ago, the 49ers have not had a pass rusher record over 10 sacks.

The most sacks a 49er has had since arriving was Parys Haralson with eight in 2008. In 2009 the most sacks recorded by a 49er was Manny Lawson with six and a half.

Now in 2009 the 49ers had 44 sacks, which was good for about three per game. It's important to note that eight sacks that the 49ers came in the last game of the season against the St. Louis Rams. Take the last game away and in 15 games the 49ers averaged two-and-a-half sacks.

In the eight wins for the 49ers, the team recorded 30 sacks. In the eight losses, the 49ers recorded 14 sacks. That means there was an average of almost four sacks per game in wins and not even two sacks per game in the losses.

Also with the eight wins, the 49ers gave up 183 yards passing on average, and in the eight losses the 49ers gave up 273 yards passing. There's a huge difference between the wins and the losses in terms of sacks and yards given up through the air.

The problem with Manusky's defense has been seen—it's comparable to the situation that the University of California Golden Bears had with Bob Gregory. The Bears by all means had excellent defensive players that could stop the run, but not the pass.

So, big games by quarterbacks happened on a regular basis even though the Bears had winning seasons. Luckily for the Bears, Gregory stepped down to become an assistant at Boise State and now Clancy Pendergast has become the defensive coordinator.

He has brought in a different approach than what Gregory had, which is similar to the one employed by Manusky with the 49ers. Gregory didn't take a lot of risks, he didn't blitz, his defenses were not aggressive, and it allowed for a lot of yards through the air.

With Pendergast at California so far, the Bears defense has been much more aggressive, the team has blitzed more, and it has done wonders for the secondary because the quarterbacks are no longer just standing in the pocket waiting for a receiver to get open. Now quarterbacks have to throw before they want to, and it's leading to incompletions and interceptions.

Much like the Bears replacing Gregory after he left, the 49ers must do the same thing with Manusky. He will no doubt be around for the entire 2010 season, but if the 49ers continue to not defend the pass well, the lack of pass rush continues, and very few blitzes occur, it's time for Manusky to leave.

From the time that Singletary took over as coach of the 49ers, he should have picked his own defensive coordinator. While Manusky has done a great job with getting the 49ers play against the run, he has failed miserably with the defense against the pass since he's taken over for the 49ers.

At this point it's really time for the 49ers to take an assessment on what the positives are with keeping Manusky, and what the negatives would be with the continued employment of Manusky. Would it be better for the 49ers to bring in a new defensive coordinator who calls for the defense to be aggressive?

Either way at the end of the season though, Manusky should be let go because the negatives are going to outweigh the positives that he brings.

Re: Who will join Pagano in Indy?

Denver. Tebows. 13 points in regulation with Philip Rivers and Norv Turner as your QB and coach? That should be a win. But 2 missed field goals can be blamed as well. After the 3 big wins over Jacksonville, Buffalo and Baltimore was a game where there was no defense so I can't say anything about that Detroit thing. What I can say with all honesty is that Greg Manusky did plenty bad to get fired, but no more than Norv did to retain his job. I honestly believe he was a scapegoat in the mess that was the 2011 season. Takeo Spikes was a blessing for grooming Donald Butler and Travis LaBoy had 3 good games to go with his 9 bad ones, so shame on that decision. However, I can't help but wonder just how little this defense could improve next year. Luis Castillo may not be back, and clearly he was a big factor in the overall suckage suffered this season. Who knows what got into Cason, Phillips spent a lot of time injured and/or inneffective, and Barnes and Garay played way too many snaps due to injury and promise/potential. Lots of strange decisions that both coaching and management need to address.

The facts are, this defense worsened in every category compared to last year: Points allowed, passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and sacks. Is that 100% attributable to coaching? Only if your reasoning is in line with the "bring back Marty" or "fire Sapnos" process. I hope John Pagano can improve this team's defense because it's hard to see them getting worse. The blame has to be put somewhere, and most of it was thrown out the window with Greg Manusky. But there is still blame to be spread and it's been quietly dismissed with promising talk and hope that next season will bring answers. Answers that unfortunately may not be from the questions we had from this season.

Re: Who will join Pagano in Indy?

Was the poor pass defense a matter of Manusky's scheme, or a matter of not having the personnel to defend a passing game?

I thought they were good at times, but slipped up to often. I think their personal was pretty good, they had a bunch of first round guys in their secondary, and LB's were also pretty good, shaun phillips has been good for a while as well.

Re: Who will join Pagano in Indy?

I'd rather my defense stop the run and be woeful against the pass if I have to choose.... compared to what the Colts put on the field. At least you force teams to put the ball in the air which has way more opportunity for mistakes- drops... bad throws.... strips... QB not seeing the open player.... And then you have the chance, no matter how bad your pass defense is, that they do happen to make a play or two, or three.

Also, if your defense can stop the run you put a different kind of pressure on the opposing team's offense... especially if your own offense is good. You put a premium on their throws and catches. And it's harder to control the clock if you can't run. So your own offense should have more opportunities.

You might find yourself in a shootout, if your team is capable... but IMHO that's better than watching the other team cram the ball down your throat and control the clock while limiting your touches on offense.

Of course... ideally a tough, balanced defense should be the goal....

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

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"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."